REPORTS: Bird, Moses had swap deal obstructed

Wayne Bennett was the man who stood in the way of the swap deal.

NEWCASTLE, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 07: Jack Bird of the Broncos in action during the round five NRL match between the Newcastle Knights and the Brisbane Broncos at McDonald Jones Stadium on April 7, 2018 in Newcastle, Australia. (Photo by Ashley Feder/Getty Images)

With both parties struggling in 2018 – Bird playing just eight games due to injury and Moses failed to recreate his 2017 form with the cellar-dwelling Eels – the option of a player swap loomed, although Bennett was against the switch, which effectively ruled out the move altogether.

The Sydney Morning Herald understand Bird has confided in friends and told them he wants to return to Sydney, although given he’s on a long-term deal (along with Moses), it doesn’t look like he’ll be departing Red Hill anytime soon.

Moses could certainly strengthen the Broncos in the halves and could form a deadly partnership with Anthony Milford, although after speaking to NRL.com on Wednesday afternoon, it looks as though he’s in for the long haul at Parramatta.

“We kind of know what went wrong this year but it’s too late to fix it now. We’ll fix it ahead of next year.”